Anti-gang education for third and fourth graders

In a second floor classroom at St. Lima School in Newark today, 22 pupils were mulling over questions about anger.

Jerry McCrea/The Star-LedgerSenior parole officer Raymond Vonderheide (left) and Sgt. Daniel Riccardo, speak with third grade students during a Gang Resistance Education and Training presentation held at St. Rose of Lima School in Newark.

The real lesson, though, was about a topic that was never mentioned in class yesterday: gangs.

With street gangs recruiting at a younger age, law enforcement officials are trying to get to them sooner through the federally-funded Gang Resistance Education and Training program. The state parole board's gang unit began working with sixth graders two years ago, but then expanded it to third and fourth-graders this year.

"A lot of the gang members start recruiting the kids very young," said Ray Vonberheide, a senior parole officer who has worked in the street gang unit for 11 years.

Vonberheide, 40, said he has witnessed gang members try to recruit youngsters with their flashy cars or lifestyle.

"They target kids who are poor, who view these gang members as successes," said Vonberheide. "Gang members take advantage of their naivete."

Mary Burke, a social worker with Catholic Charities in Newark, contacted Vonberheide after tensions erupted among sixth-graders at the school. At the time, she was worried the problems would escalate beyond fighting and they would hook up with gangs.

"They live in an area where they're very susceptible," she said.

Candida Esposito, an educator for more than 50 years who is now the director of staff development for the school, said the program is important because it gives children options. Even though the word, "gang" is hardly used, she said the pupils still absorb the point of the lessons.

"The more education we give them, the better," Esposito said.

St. Lima takes 220 students from Irvington and Newark, areas that are rife with gang violence.

Vonberheide and two other officers, Hector Reyes and Dan Riccardo, have visited the school weekly, instilling a different lesson each time. A few weeks ago, they broached the topic of gangs more candidly by asking the pupils if they've heard of or seen gang members lurking in their neighborhoods.

A lot of the students, Vonberheide said, were very aware that gangs are present on the streets.